The present invention relates to a protective liner assembly and kit for the bed of a pickup truck and more particularly concerns such an assembly and kit that are simply made and easily installed.
Different types of protective liners for the body of pickup trucks have been suggested, including arrangements shown in the U.S. patents to Robertson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,103), Richardson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,098), Carter (U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,863), and Munos et al (4,333,678). Although the arrangements shown in the prior art may be effective for protecting the truck body, they involve generally high degrees of complex fabrication, costly materials, and specific fastening and connection devices. They are also difficult to assemble and connect or even more difficult to detach from the truck body, when required for replacement or repair. Particularly severe problems are found in connection with lining of those truck bodies in which a side panel is made of a single metallic sheet. Screws or bolts employed to hold protective liners to such side panels significantly detract from the appearance of the truck body and require holes in the side panels which are more prone to rust and, moreover, are unsightly when the liner is removed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pickup truck body liner assembly that avoids or minimizes above-mentioned problems.